Don’t just play computer games, learn how to program your own! This section includes C++ and Visual C++ game programming resources. For additional game programming resources, check out our Computer Game Programming Resource Center. Includes free tutorials, e-books, online training and more. Check out the code from popular computer games. Also lists game programming books.

Sample Chapter: "Types, Variables, and Standard I/O: Lost Fortune," from Beginning C++ Game Programming, May 2004, by Michael Dawson. Discusses C++, using C++ for games, compilers, chapter breakdown of what the test contains, dealing with errors, understanding the ISO standard, writing your first C++ program and commenting code.

Game Developer magazine provides the latest news for game and entertainment software developers. It discusses technical solutions, the latest products and tools, successful game development strategies, tips and tricks, project case studies and more. Available in print and online formats.

The "Advice on C++ Game Programming" forum on Objectivism Online is a source of information and advice about creating game programs in C++. You can post a question, post an answer and read through the questions and answers posted. A side bar next to each entry indicates who the member is and how many posts they have made to the forum.

C++ Game Programming newsgroup on Google Groups. Some of the topics discussed include game programming, creating a map game, game logic, sharing games tutorials, collaborating on C++ game development and more.

ClanLib is a cross platform C++ toolkit library primarily used for game development. Site includes downloads, documentation, a forum, mailing lists for users and developers, tutorials, articles, tips and tricks, examples of games built with ClanLib, a FAQ and more.

Crystal Space is a free, open source, multi-platform 3D game development kit written in C++. Features include a flexible plug-in system, SCF (Shared Class Facility) for communication between layers, 15/16-bit and 24/32-bit (truecolor) displays, commandline arguments, open C++ source code, textures with various formats (GIF, TGA, PNG, BMP, JPG, etc.), transparent and semi-transparent textures, a landscape engine, portability and more. Crystal Space is available under the LGPL GNU copyleft license and can be used in commercial products (per the terms of the LGPL license). Site includes downloads, an extensive list of features, documentation, a FAQ, a project wiki, forums, a blog and more.

Panda3D is a free C++ library (with Python bindings) for rapid 3D rendering and game development. Panda3D was developed by Disney for a large-scale, online multiplayer game (Toontown) and is now co-developed by Disney and Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center. Site includes downloads, links to Panda 3D projects, a user manual, code examples, documentation, API reference materials, forums and more. Panda3D developers can submit their projects to be included on the site.

Tutorial: "Beginners Guide to C/C++ Game Programming." A tutorial to take you from beginner to intermediate. Find information about C++ game programming, 2D and 3D graphics, sound, input, cameras and collision detection techniques.

Article: "Why C++?" by Kyle Wilson, a game programmer (July 15, 2006). Discusses why this author believes C++ is the best language to use for game programming. His reasons include inertia (C++ is a popular language and it is easy to find experienced C++ programmers), its ability to link with popular game engines (e.g., Gamebryo, Havok, FMOD, SpeedTree and the Unreal Engine are written in C++), the power and efficiency of the C++ language and more.

Free download of Airhockey 3D from BTS: Black Technology Studios. Airhockey 3D is a one to two player game programmed in C++ and OpenGL (an open source graphics library). Includes 12 different tables, tournament mode and a simple AI (artificial intelligence) to play against.